Nationalist MP Jason Azzopardi said he felt “used and abused” after leader Adrian Delia said he will lead the party in the next election.

“Reading the comments given to the media now by Dr Delia, I feel very upset, deceived and honestly, flabbergasted,” he wrote on Facebook.

He was referring to a statement made by Delia that he intends to lead the PN to the next election after a long parliamentary group meeting which was held on Wednesday.

“We had a very good, intense, serene, incisive, no holds barred Parliamentary Group meeting, which lasted almost 5 hours. Practically all MPs took part with genuine respect shown towards each other. The Leader of the Party in his concluding remarks made it clear he was going to reflect on what was said to him and come back to us, keeping in mind the greater good of the Party and the country.

“I, and I’m sure all of us present were, was led to believe by Dr Delia’s seemingly sincere conclusion that he would take some days to reflect and come back with his decision.

“I’m gobsmacked reading that a mere 5 minutes after the conclusion of the Meeting, the time to go downstairs to the waiting media, he categorically told the media that he had decided going to lead the PN to the next general elections.

“This is not on. I feel used and my good faith abused. I feel it was a complete waste of time. Sadly, I feel he had already decided and merely used the meeting as a ruse to give a verneer of credence to his pre planned decision.

“This is not fair. This is not just.

“He should have been man enough to tell us that he had already decided, and that no matter what the absolute majority of the MPs told him bluntly today, he was going to simply ride roughshod over our positions and what the absolute majority of the electorate feels about him”.

Azzopardi has been among the MPs who have been the most vocal in their criticism of the party leadership.